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South Korea has made a difficult decision and prohibited taking smartphones to class. This move will be put into effect nationwide from March next year.

School-going students' increasing smartphone addiction is becoming a cause of concern. Keeping in mind this, Australia had already prohibited social media among teenagers some time back. Now South Korea has also made a similar decision and prohibited carrying mobile phones and electronic devices in classrooms. The decision will be enforced in schools countrywide. The authorities here are saying that social media addiction among youths is turning into a massive crisis.

The rule will be enforced from next year

This rule, which was approved by South Korea's Parliament on Wednesday, will be enforced from next March. South Korean leader Cho Jung-hun added that kids continue running Instagram and TikTok until late evening. Their eyes are always red every morning and they remain on Instagram until 2-3 in the night. Previously, these types of decisions have been taken in Australia and Netherlands too. Since the decision in Netherlands, the attentiveness of the students has become better.

These issues were observed in students

98 percent of South Korea's population own a smartphone and nearly 99 percent of the population here use the Internet. Last year, the Ministry of Education here had done a survey. In this, 37 percent of high school and middle school students reported that social media is influencing their day-to-day life. 22 percent of students who took part in the survey reported that if they do not use social media, they begin to feel anxious. Because of this, mobile phones were already prohibited in most schools and now this directive has been adopted by schools all over the nation. But disabled children have been exempted from this rule. There is also no prohibition on the use of smartphones for academic use.

Jamia Millia Islamia has launched three new courses for the 2025-26 academic session. The varsity has announced the launching of undergraduate courses in German Studies and Japanese Studies under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP), and an Advanced Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling.

The online process for admission to all three programmes has started. Candidates are expected to sit for admission test on September 14, 2025 after going through the university's official website before September 6, 2025.

NEW PROGRAMMES BASED ON NEP 2020

The two new undergraduate programmes, BA (Hons) German Studies and BA (Hons) Japanese Studies, are based on the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

The courses have been structured to blend language skills with culture studies, translation and interpretation, and training related to industry. The university states that the intention is to give students the capabilities and international orientation necessary to thrive in today's globalized world.

Jamia stated in a release that the courses will broaden students' learning beyond conventional language le

Besides these undergraduate programs, Jamia has also introduced an Advanced Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling. The program is accredited by Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). Upon obtaining this diploma, students will be able to work as certified counsellors certified by the RCI.

The program opens up careers across a range of industries, such as schools, hospitals, healthcare facilities, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations in India and elsewhere.

The diploma is designed to empower professionals to make effective interventions in the field of child guidance and counselling, says the university.

Vice Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, Professor Mazhar Asif, and Registrar, Jamia, Professor Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi stated: "The rationale behind launching these programs is to widen Jamia's academic scope in foreign language teaching, on the one hand, and make fresh forays and meaningful intervention in the challenging and significant field of Child Guidance & Counselling, on the other."

Through such programs, Jamia has diversified its academic program in the field of language studies and child counselling to produce professionals who will be able to contribute significantly both nationally and globally.

The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB) has declared the WBJEE 2025 Round 1 seat allotment result on its official counselling portal wbjeeb.nic.in. Candidates who registered for counselling can now check their seat allotment status for admissions to undergraduate engineering, architecture, and pharmacy courses in West Bengal for the academic session 2025-26.

The seat allotment result shows which institute and course will be assigned to the candidates depending on their rank, preference and availability of seats. The candidates who have been assigned seats during this round must authenticate their admission by paying a refundable 5,000 seat acceptance fee between September 3 and September 7, 2025. The payment may be done online through net banking, debit/credit card, or UPI.

Once payment is successful, candidates are expected to download their seat allotment letter on the official site which is obligatory in the admission process. The inability to pay the fee within the timeframe stipulated will lead to the cancellation of the assigned seat and not being eligible to participate in subsequent upgradation rounds.

How to Check WBJEE Round 1 Seat Allotment Result 2025:

• Go to the official WBJEE counselling site: wbjeeb.nic.in.
• Click on the “WBJEE 2025 Round 1 Seat Allotment Result” link on the homepage
• Use application number, password and security pin to log in. 
• Look through your subscribed institute and course.
• Pay the seat acceptance fee and download the allotment letter.

It is recommended that all the candidates follow the official portal closely to get updated on the next round of counselling and admission procedures. The counselling process assists in streamlining the seat allocation among different participating institutes in West Bengal, and thereby, allows a transparent admission system to be carried on by aspirants.

The WBJEEB administers the exam annually to gain admission to the top government and private colleges in the fields of engineering, pharmacy and architecture. The general procedure guarantees merit-based and equitable selection in accordance with the preferences of the candidates.

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Tuesday demanded the implementation of student-centric teaching in a manner which goes beyond the confines of the classroom and interlinks learning with life.

Speaking in a Vice-Chancellors' meet at Gauhati University, arranged by Raj Bhavan, on the topic "Transformative Reforms in Pedagogy, Curriculum and Assessment System: Immediate Need of NEP 2020," the Governor stated that NEP 2020 has initiated revolutionary changes, which necessitate teachers to be mentors and innovators.

"Here, the faculties must change themselves into mentors and instructors to elicit the best out of the students by utilizing new technologies in education," Acharya emphasized. He pointed out the need to shift away from traditional rote learning to project and experimental approaches with freedom to engage the students in applying what they study in a live setting.

The Governor pointed out that NEP 2020 not only empowering the students but also reshapes the role of teachers in a manner that they are ready to adopt the role of facilitators of knowledge having the potential to develop creativity, innovation, and critical thinking. "The policy urges the teachers to make higher education more innovative in character and prepare students to handle the challenges of the rapidly changing world," he added further.

Acharya also stressed the creation of a robust and comprehensive network of higher education for all the universities of Assam that fosters multidisciplinary learning and innovation through research. He noted that unless the pedagogy, curricular reforms, and assessment systems are coordinated by the universities themselves for NEP 2020 to become effective, it would be difficult to implement.

The Vice-Chancellors' conclave gathered the academic heads of the state to deliberate on the latest reforms that would strike a balance between higher education and the NEP vision. The issues discussed were integrating digital technology into curricula, the way curriculum would have to alter, competency-based education, and how to make it more comprehensive in evaluation.

With NEP 2020 as a course correction to education in India, the Governor's plea is a conceptualization of the way in which higher education institutions in Assam must introduce radical reforms that place the students at the very heart of the learning process.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)’s 65th Foundation Day marked another step forward in NCERT’s mission of reshaping education in India in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The celebration held in NCERT’s New Delhi office, was graced by the Honourable Union Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, as  the chief guest for the event, who announced multiple important projects to promote inclusive, multilingual, and technology-driven learning in India.

Innovative Educational Initiatives Announced 

• The introduction of Indian Language Primers in Hindi, Sanskrit, Ho, and Koya languages, advancing NEP-2020’s emphasis on teaching in the mother tongue.
• The PM eVidya app, serving as a centralised portal for quality digital education across the nation, was also launched.  
• To keep children engaged in learning, Bal Vatika, a dedicated PM eVidya DTH Channel (No. 35), was launched. It provides colourful and appealing visual and audio materials for children aged 3 to 6 years, in addition to parents, teachers, and Anganwadi workers, with a special focus on foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
• The event was marked by the inauguration of Virtual Reality Laboratories in four Demonstration Multipurpose Schools at Regional Institute of Education centers in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, and Mysore, with the aim of enhancing experiential learning. 
• Another notable enhancement was the launch of DIKSHA 2.0, an advanced Learning Management System, that includes AI-driven Personalized Adaptive Learning (PAL), support for multiple languages, interactive tools, and adaptive assessments, all aimed at customizing learning and ensuring it is available in a wide range of Indian languages.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan praised NCERT by calling it a "Gyan-Kumbh" (a treasure trove of knowledge) and called on the organization to maintain its momentum in spearheading educational reforms that foster critical and creative thinking in students. He noted that, for the realisation of the concept of Samridhh Bharat (prosperous India) by 2047, technology and multilingualism are crucial. The Minister shared his optimism that these efforts would enable teachers and students equally and position India as a world leader in education.

The 65th Foundation Day celebration was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Education and NCERT, as well as other prominent figures. Their presence marked the renewed commitment to technology-enabled inclusive education as envisaged in NEP-2020, thus making a remarkable leap towards the development of a future-ready Indian Youth. 

Additionally, there are some more initiatives besides the flagship projects which have been initiated on the 65th Foundation Day of NCERT and are enriching inclusive and culturally sensitive education in India. The Pre-Assessment Holistic Screening Tool PRASHAST 2.0 is a mobile application used to screen students at the school level to 21 known disability conditions to enable the early identification of disabilities and timely intervention. This is a remarkable initiative in inclusive education in that it enables teachers and special educators to work effectively together to ensure that no child is left behind because of undiagnosed disabilities. 

Another interesting initiative is “Kitab Ek Padhe Anek,” which encourages children to read a single book in multiple Indian languages, cultivating not only language skills but also cultural knowledge. Also, NCERT has taken steps in culture education and one of the examples is publishing books on eminent people of Odisha to help students gain confidence and knowledge of regional heritage.

All-in-all, these efforts represent the integrated approach of NCERT toward education, integrating technology, inclusivity, multilingualism, and culture to form a comprehensive approach to learning. As India fast-tracks its educational reforms under NEP-2020, such efforts are vital for cultivating a future-ready generation equipped with knowledge, empathy, and digital skills. These initiatives released in parallel to the 65th Foundation Day celebrations are a replica of NCERT's efforts to create an innovative, accessible, and culturally-grounded education system in India. 

The syndicate of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) has not sat for the past six months, putting PhD students in a dilemma. The students complain that they cannot appear for jobs as they are awaiting a doctorate certificate that would be granted only after the syndicate clears their doctoral research.

Sundar (name changed), a PhD student, claimed that he had done his viva voce in February, but has not received the certificate yet.

"After clearing the viva, researchers will receive the syndicate clearance within one month. Only then we can file for provisional certificate. Without the certificate, we cannot file for job. At least 25 PhD researchers in MKU and its affiliated colleges are still waiting to receive syndicate clearance. We made several representations to the authorities through our guides, but in vain," he added.

He also stated "A friend who had defended her viva in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, was awarded the doctorate recently. Now she is employed as assistant professor in a self-financing college in Tirunelveli. But MKU students were not able to take up any employment due to absence of certificates. E Sundaravalli, chairperson of MKU convener committee should call a special syndicate meeting and give sanction at the earliest."

Talking to TNIE, a top official of MKU, said that syndicate meetings need to be conducted every month. Since there is no V-C, this has not been conducted. MKU convener committee Chairperson E Sundaravalli has not arranged for the syndicate meeting since January this year. But, students who had finished their viva before October will receive their convocation by this year

R Murali, secretary of Save MKU Forum alleged that almost 100 PhD scholars are awaiting their doctorates.

"The syndicate must hold an emergency meeting and approve the papers, and release their provisional certificates at the earliest," he said.